1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to mechanical devices for opening locked doors having door handles and more particularly to reusable such devices which require a minimal amount of skill to use.
Modern technology is producing electronic door locks that do not use keys, but rather work on various means of electronic combination recognition. When these locks fail to work, standard locksmith method are virtually useless. In order to open the door with the failed lock, a physical assault on either the lock or the door must be used to gain access.
Examples repeesenting the state of the art in door opening devices include Scott, U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,642 which discloses strap wrench including a sliding or wrenching strap portion being secured by one end to a buckle and formed into a bight; Stevens, U.S. Pat. No. 4,048,873 for a door security lock opening tool and method of using same which discloses a U-shaped member including an actuating leg and a handle leg interconnected by a base portion; Waring, U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,778 for a tool for lifting a latch operator of a locked vehicle door which discloses a strip of spring steel bent back upon itself defining a first long operator leg and a second normally diverging shorter latch manipulator leg; McConnell, U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,211 for a vehicle door lock release and method and apparatus which discloses an elongate member arranged for downward insertion into a vehicle door between the door glass and window sill and arranged to engage a portion of the door lock assembly and trip the lock; Bolton, U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,886 for keyless door unlocking apparatus for automobiles which discloses an elongate rod being bent about 90.degree. at the lower end to form a sidewardly projecting arm; and Parkins, U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,102 for a locksmith tool for unlocking motor vehicle doors which discloses another elongate probing tool and which includes a sawtooth member. Also known is a wrench to Ingersoll, U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,920 which discloses a rigid handle having loosely removable interconnected portions and a flexible handle member.
However what has gone unrecognized by the above is that most door locks secure the door from only one side, namely the outside. Recognizing the fact doors are usually not secured from the inside, it is clearer that what is needed is a door opening apparatus which allows the door to be opened from the outside by delivering a door opening mechanism to the inside. The need for such a door opening mechanism would be still greater if the door could be opened without damage to either it or the mechanism itself. A reusable such mechanism would fill a great need in this field.